Steph Hodgins-May (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Today is a bad day for those greedy gas corporations but a great day for those people who have been demanding that they finally pay what they owe. The Greens have today secured an inquiry into the taxation of Australia's gas.

I'll chair it. Our inquiry will put the rich, tax-dodging gas industry under the microscope. It will dismantle their excuses for paying no tax, and it will build momentum for fairer tax in the upcoming budget.

This is crunch time. Australians are being smashed by rising costs while the gas industry is poised to cash in on global conflict and walk away with billions. And every day that this government delays action, it costs Australians nearly $50 million in lost revenue. Almost $250 million a week is being handed to gas corporations instead of being used to support people through a fair tax on our gas exports. People are struggling to fill their cars and to pay their bills, and they are rightly asking why—why multinational gas companies are profiting from resources that belong to us all. For far too long, gas corporations have extracted our resources, shipped them offshore, made a motza and paid next to nothing in return—next to nothing! And, when disaster strikes, when conflict is egged on by the war parties, it is everyday Australians who are left to pick up the bill.

We have, just this weekend, seen the devastation of Cyclone Narelle in Exmouth, with infrastructure decimated, communities isolated and marine life devastated, and the costs are absolutely enormous. This is exactly why polluters like Woodside Energy and Chevron should be paying for the climate damage that they contribute to. A minimum 25 per cent tax on gas exports could raise at least $17 billion per year. That is revenue that we could be using right now to support people and to invest in our futures. It could slash household energy bills and provide direct cost-of-living relief. It could fund free public transport, just like in my home state of Victoria. It could accelerate electrification so we can finally break our dependence on expensive, polluting gas.

When this committee reports, Labor will have a choice. Will they keep allowing the gas giants to call the shots, or will they stand up to the vested interests and make them pay what Australians are owed? This inquiry will lay out evidence, dismantle the spin and lies and provide a solution. There has never been stronger public support for taxing gas exports. The case is clear, and the time is now.